Blue Orchid Business Advice

I contacted Blue Orchid today an organisation that provides free business advice in a one-to-one session. I've left my name and number and they said they would contact me within 3 working days to book in an appointment.

I plan to ask about any issues I have with copyright, what are the boundaries regarding legal requirements with this issue, get advice on putting together a business plan, getting loans/grants, financial rates, writing contracts, understanding contracts, how to prevent yourself from being copyrighted and preventing fraud. I will possibly receive advice and learn things that I haven't even come to question because I am new to the industry.

I will put together a PDP of how this one-to-one business appointment went as soon as I have been on it.

Plimsoll

Plimsoll is a report and analysis company set up to help businesses follow their market. Click on image to enlarge.

Phoenix Trade advertising

I thought this was a good idea for publicising a product. By introducing a sale as a party and by adding that some profits would go to charity is a good marketing approach.

Phoenix Trade job position

I've uploaded this as it might be a useful contact for anyone reading this.

I've researched Phoenix Trade and decided they weren't the publish house for me. They aren't statement cards which is what I am interested in and don't run along my Dark Nouveau project.

They are a successful business though and have good marketing strategies which I have learnt from, such as including parties with selling the product. I think with the products I am hoping to be selling next year holding parties in ways to sell your product are a great way of doing so. Anne Summers parties are a successful example of this.

They also work along charities. This perceives good working ethnic.

Understanding and paying a bill on Folksy

How do I pay my Folksy bill?

You can see your Folksy fees in Your account > Your Folksy bill. The balance that shows is made up of billed and unbilled fees for listings and 5% commisson on sales.

Whenever you list or sell an item a fee is added to your bill. These fees are 'unbilled' until the end of each month when the total amount owed for that month (if it is over £2) is turned into a bill. Charges under £2 are rolled over to the next month.

While the fees are 'unbilled' you don't need to worry about paying them. When a bill is due you will receive an email from Folksy to let you know. The bill will also show in Your Folksy bill and you can pay by following the steps below. .

What are the charges?

The charges are:

Listing fees £0.20 for each listing. This listing can include a quantity of up to 5 for handmade items, or up to 100 for materials. Whatever the quantity the cost is still 20p. The listing lasts for 180 days (6 months approximately) or until the item is sold out.

Commission fees From 1 May 2010 we charge 5% commission on the list price of each sale (this doesn't include postage).

How do I know what I've been charged for?

If you log in to Folksy, go to Your account and look for the Money heading on the right hand side. This shows your outstanding balance. If you click on Your Folksy bill you will see a list of all your bills for each month. If the status shows as Submitted the bill has been paid. If not it will say Pay Fees. Click on the status for any month and you will see a breakdown of the charges for that month.

How do I pay my bill?

To pay your bill click on Pay Fees. The total amount payable will show with a Pay Using Paypal button beside it. Click this to go to Paypal. Log in to your account as normal and follow the steps until Paypal confirms that the payment has been sent. If the payment is successful you should also receive a conformation email.